Envelope



M. SOUVAL June 4, 1957 ENVELOPE Filed Sept. 20, 1954 INVENTOR. Vila .4. M

ATTORNEY United States The object of the present invention is to provide an envelope which may be made of stiff foldable paper, plastic, foil, or the like, and which is specially designed to held various articles, particularly undergarments, stockings, ties, outer shirts, etc., in such manner that the envelope may be opened for inspection of the articles and at the same time will hold them against lateral dislodgement from the envelope.

The characteristic of the invention is that when the upper and lower major flaps are raised, intricately folded side walls will be moved upwardly to adequately expose the articles, but at the same time will surmount opposed margins of the articles. Furthermore, the envelope can be very quickly and inexpensively made by dieing and scoring a single blank of the desired material.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a wew, generally in plan, showing the envelope with the upper and lower flaps moved partially outward and the end flaps raised accordingly;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blank, and

Fig. 3 is a view of the envelope closed.

Referring to the drawings, in Fig. 2 it will be seen that the blank is preferably oval and is provided with scored fold lines 1, 2, 3 and 4 bounding what will be the base wall of the envelope, when folded and lying on a flat surface. The blank is scored with the same score lines to the left of line 4 and to the right of line 3. These score lines consist of an extension 5 and 52: of scored line 1, the extensions 6 and 6x of scored line 2, the extensions 7 and 8 of scored line 3, and extensions 7x and 8x of scored line 4. In addition, each area between scored lines 5 and 7, 6 and 8, 5x and 7x, 6x and 8x, has a central scored line at 9. Also the area at each end of the blank intermediate the scored lines 3, 5 and 6 at the right-hand side, and 4, 5x and 6x at the left-hand side, is provided with scored lines 10 and 11.

When the blank is folded so as to be closed by the upper flap 12 and the lower flap 13, said flaps may be folded, as at right angles, on scored lines 1 and 2 after the end portions are folded upwardly on the scored lines 3 and 4 and then on the scored lines outwardly of the "atent C lines 3 and 4, whereupon the folded ends may be brought downwardly in close association with the back wall 122:, whereupon the bottom and top flaps 13 and 12 may be successively brought down to the position shown in Fig. 3. Suitable fastening means may be provided intermediate the flaps 12 and 13.

Referring to Fig. 1, wherein for clarity of illustration the numerals defining the scored lines have been omitted, it will be seen that the folded ends of the structure provide an inwardly extending V-shaped fold 14 at each corner merging into the top and bottom flaps and into outwardly folded triangular sections 15, which merge into the major inwardly folded triangular sections 16. When the top and bottom flaps are moved into closed position, their pressure upon the V-shaped folds 14 causes them to overlap one upon the other, and continued movement of the upper and lower closure flaps collapses the said folds into substantially flat position over and surmounting the articles enclosed within the package.

When, from closed position, the cover flaps are raised, this action will, because of the stiffness of the material and the nature of the V-shaped folds 14, effect raising of members 15 and 15 to the position shown in Fig. 1, whereby the articles within the envelope are adequately exposed for inspection and at the same time are held by the traylike formation of the envelope.

It will be understood that the rounded edge closure flaps 12 and 13 may be formed in a straight line at their outer edges, although the rounded form of the envelopes is attractive and preferred. These obvious changes are within the spirit of the invention.

Having described my infention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

A traylike envelope for holding articles and consisting of a relatively stiff sheet cut, scored and folded to form a generally rectangular wall, top and bottom closure flaps adapted to overlap, and two integral lateral side members adapted to lie flat upon said wall, each side member consisting of a triangular inwardly directed extension of said rectangular wall, having marginal inwardly folded generally triangular sections of lesser area than said inwardly directed extension, each of said lesser triangular sections being centrally folded to form two mutually overlapping sections, one section being immediately carried by an appropriate closure fiap and the second being immediately carried by an appropriate one of the inwardly directed extensions of said rectangular wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 374,913 Taylor Dec. 13, 1887 960,384 Norman June 7, 1910 1,027,719 Fordon et a1 May 28, 1912 FOREIGN PATENTS 236,796 Germany July 12, 1911 

